


hold my ground

by QuickSilverFox3



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: But the Feelings are real, CC-2224 | Cody Gets A Hug, Clone Trooper & Jedi Relationships (Star Wars), Commander Cody Week 2021, Diplomacy, Fake Marriage, M/M, Missing Scene, Mission Fic, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 09:27:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30103842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuickSilverFox3/pseuds/QuickSilverFox3
Summary: This wasn’t the mission either of them had been expecting, but it was still a welcome moment of relieft.
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody/Mace Windu
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	hold my ground

**Author's Note:**

> Commander Cody Week 2021 Day 05: Rest & Recover

The soft calls of birds — a never repeating discordant melody — filled Cody’s mind, mingling with the remnants of his barely remembered dreams. He kept his eyes closed as he listened, letting his breaths slow and deepen until he was hovering on the edge of slumber once more. 

A faint movement reached him, the unbelievably soft mattress muting the sensation, and Cody was moving before he could think. His spine cracked as he pushed himself up, levelling the blaster at the perceived threat.

Mace Windu’s face curved into the barest fraction of a smile, before slipping back into calm serenity, seemingly unphased by the blaster levelled over his heart. “Peace, Commander. I apologise for waking you.”

“General. I—“ Cody’s apology died on his lips as his gaze locked onto the ring the General still wore, almost proudly. It was a simple item, barely more than a few spare wires braided together into a haphazard circle. Cody’s thumbs still bore the slowly healing wounds it inflicted upon him when the ship lurched while entering atmo. “You’re still wearing the ring.”

Mace blinked before tipping his head and hand in unison — every movement graceful and felt like it was planned like the slow bending of an ancestral oak — to inspect it. “I am. Given the… unusual circumstances of this particular diplomatic mission, I thought it best to maintain.”

He paused, his gaze seeming to slip beneath Cody’s blacks and run over the jagged edges of his soul. “But if it makes you uncomfortable, I’m more than happy to take it off when we are alone.”

Cody felt his thoughts stop, crashing into each other like a speeder pile-up. “No.”

The word was out before he could stop it, and he felt his cheeks burn but he couldn’t look away. There was a steady beat in the back of his mind that he couldn’t fully ignore, a senseless repetition of ‘ _ mine’ _ .

“It’ll help the mission,” Cody tried, his voice holding steady even as his heart twisted like it was trying to break free in his chest. 

“I appreciate your company on this mission, Commander. Even with it’s,” Mace paused, something akin to a grin tugging at the edge of his lips, “unusual circumstances.”

“Unusual is one way of putting it, sir.”

Cody felt like he had barely managed to keep his footing: stumbling into the barracks on Coruscant for a well-needed break between missions before Ponds had run in, dragging Cody out towards the docking bay, barely pausing to breathe as he rattled off a mission briefing. Then he had been nudged towards a ship — a diplomatic vessel, built for comfort rather than a war, and Cody’s skin had prickled at the thought, immediately ill at ease.

He had barely had time to recover from the gut punch of having his leave cancelled in favour of a specialised protective detail, then Mace Windu settling himself onto one of the ridiculously plush seats next to him, and they were away.

“Yes.” Mace stretched, settling back into the loose limbed meditative pose that all the Jedi seemed to favour. Cody raised himself up onto his knees, the sunlight that flooded in through the large window on the wall behind him warming his skin, and merely watched the steady rise and fall of Mace’s chest, unconsciously matching the rhythm with his own breaths. 

“I fear we may be missing some crucial information from the dossier. I appreciate that this isn’t what you were expecting, Commander, but I am glad for the company.” 

Cody didn’t allow himself to blush, merely nodding with a sharp jerk of his head, as Mace began to meditate. His silent vigil wasn’t discussed, as Cody watched the slow creep of light illuminated the deep bronze of his skin, the clone’s hand remaining next to his blaster as they listened to the sounds of the world waking up around them. 

A wave of deep calm settled in Cody’s chest, and he closed his eyes for a moment, letting his turn towards what it would be like after the war. It would be similar to this, warm and soft around the edges, but that was where his thoughts came to an abrupt end, teetering on the edge of the unknown.

He couldn’t imagine what he had never known.

“I believe our hosts will be collecting us in a moment,” Mace murmured, his eyes still closed, and Cody found himself jolted back into the present. He felt strangely naked without his armour, only wearing his blacks, as he stood, methodically checking his blaster and the blades he kept tucked in easy reach. 

Mace moved to stand, and Cody stepped forward, offering his arm to the other man as support. The other man’s grip was steady, and he squeezed Cody’s arm once in silent thanks as the door chimed, signalling the arrival of one of their hosts. 

They remained close together as they walked to the small hall, their hands brushing together every so often, and each time brought a fresh, furious blush to Cody’s face, causing his heart to skip a beat in his chest. He thought he would be able to handle this, to keep maintaining the same level of denial that he even had a crush that half the  _ vod _ also possessed, but his carefully constructed control was slipping further every second. 

The air slowly became filled with the scent of fresh bread, a strange almost syrupy sweetness and, lingering beneath them, a spicy scent that set Cody’s blood humming in his veins. He turned his head slightly, searching for the source, and caught the edge of a look of indescribable softness that filtered over Mace’s face before it disappeared once more. 

“I believe,” Mace murmured, looping his arm through Cody’s without breaking stride, and the clone’s heart simply stopped even as his body continued moving out of reflex, “that we should only be here for a day cycle. I would like to apologise for the length of the meetings we will likely be subjected to.”

“It’s no trouble, sir.”

“It was suggested by another Council member that armour could be swapped to allow you to keep your break, while Ponds provided a distraction.” 

Cody couldn’t help the twist of disgust that pulled at his face, a shudder at the idea rattling up his spine. Natborns didn’t understand, couldn’t understand why that was nearly unthinkable to the clones. Pieces of their armour could be gifted as a mark of trust, a clear show of affection with one of the only things they  _ could _ own, and yet, wearing another clone’s armour in the way natborns borrowed clothing was disrespectful. It would have felt like he was wearing another person’s skin, losing himself in them.

Mace continued, his tone softer. “Yes, Commander Fox made the argument that it would not be a well-liked course of action, and made the suggestion for you to go in Ponds’ place.”

Cody was torn between the urge to thank Fox the next time he saw him or to punch him. Ever since he had settled into a relationship of sorts with Ponds, the other man couldn’t help but meddle in the way that only the Command track  _ vode _ could. Fox and Ponds both took after Prime, content together even as they looked at their brothers and the romance novels that served as black market currency with a sense of mild confusion.

“I’m happy to serve, sir.”

Mace frowned, but didn’t get the chance to speak before a new problem presented itself. 

“Ah.” 

“Sir?” Cody scanned the room, taking in the low tables, almost groaning beneath the heavy bounty of food set on top of them, noting the strange configuration of their hosts: one sitting curled atop the other. 

“The briefing mentioned that there is a very strict binary of roles, categorised as peacekeeper and protector by our standards, hence the ring.” Mace kept his voice low as he steered Cody towards one of the tables at their host’s gentle urging. “In times of war, the protectors guard the peacekeepers and in times of peace, the peacekeepers care for the protectors.”

“Sir?” Cody couldn’t think, could barely move under his own steam. It felt like he had fallen into one of the over-dramatised holos that always seemed to be streaming whenever he got a moment of downtime. 

“You are a good man, Commander. I don’t want to ask you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

“General, sir. It wouldn’t be a hardship.” He meant every word. Cody knew that looking after the Jedi was just another part of his training, but Mace Windu was different. 

The grin he received in response was blinding.

“Glad to hear it.”

The first thought that made its way through the shocked and silent fog in Cody’s mind as Mace sat on the cushion, pulling Cody down onto his lap, was that the other man was warm. Through the heavy robes he wore, heat pressed against Cody’s back and the curve of his shoulders like sinking into a warm bath back on Coruscant. 

It felt like every ounce of blood in his body was burning through his cheeks, the heat of the blush trailing down his neck and across his chest. 

“What?” Cody managed to spit out from behind gritted teeth, barely able to believe what was happening. 

“Peacekeepers care for the protectors,” Mace said, his voice rumbling through Cody’s chest. While he couldn’t see the Jedi’s face, Cody knew he was grinning once more. It was an expression he wanted to see more of, to watch it unfold again and again and again in all it’s variations like a sunrise.

“I feel like I’m a shiny,” Cody muttered, making a reflexive half-hearted attempt to twist away, embarrassment and longing burning bright in his chest like twin suns.

“You’re certainly squirming enough to be a shiny,” Mace chuckled, settling his chin on top of Cody’s head as he stared out at the room, and Cody settled, remembering the deep calm of the mediation, his heart slowing in his chest as they breathed in unison. The moment wouldn’t last, but they would enjoy it while it did.


End file.
